Fireworks and New Beginnings
by mrs.salvatore39
Summary: late New Years fic. Damon and Elena have seperate dates for the Lockwood Ball, but will they find each other by midnight? LEMON


_a/n: this is a missing New Years fic I forgot to post in a rush to get as much done for the Exchange as I could. Hope it's not too late in the month for you all to enjoy it. Really it's mostly for fun Happy Reading._

_p.s. there are two drabbles _

Damon glared at the clock on the mantel that ticked noisily in the quiet living room. Each tick of the hand made him just the tiniest bit angrier. Honestly, how long did it take a woman to put a dress on? He looked from the clock to his watch and back at the stairs again. He'd been down here waiting for almost an hour now. What could possibly be taking her so long? With a huff and a curse, he pushed himself away from the couch and stalked over to the liquor cabinet, ready to pour himself a glass of bourbon and sit out the rest of the wait. But a small sound behind him made him stop and turn back, it was probably a good thing the glass wasn't in his hand yet or it would have ended up shattered into a million pieces on the floor.

The hour he'd spent waiting for her definitely had been worth it. She looked stunning, she looked glowing and if he hadn't been so stunned he would have walked over to her, pulled her into his arms and kissed her right there. He wouldn't care if it pissed her off or if she wasn't ready for it. She looked good enough to eat, and he swore to himself that he would taste her before the night was over. She caught the look in his eyes and repressed the shudder it elicited in her blood and did a quick turn side to side. "What to do you think?"

He wanted to say she looked beautiful, wanted to worship at her feet but they had made a deal and they were not going to torture each other any longer. He was simply her ride to the Lockwood's where their respective dates would meet them. "Worth the wait I suppose. You do know that we were supposed to leave an hour ago?"

The tiny fleeting hope she'd felt the moment she saw the look on his face disappeared as she remembered tonight was not a night for them. It was her fault, so she couldn't really be mad at him. She'd made him promise to stop flirting, to stop complimenting and to stop looking at her in any way that might be deemed sexy or tempting. His lack of response was her doing and she was just going to have to put up with that. "Well I'm ready now." She turned from him, building her shield up to cover the disappointment as he helped her on with her coat.

His fingers brushed against the bare skin at her back as he adjusted her collar under her hair and she stiffened slightly at the contact. That simple touch alone and sent sparks shooting down her spine. "Sorry." He mumbled and stepped back. "Rule number one: no touching."

"Accidents happen." She said, smiling a little as they stepped out of the Boarding House and into the biting wind.

She held the jacket tighter around her as he opened the car door for her, relieved when she didn't notice he chanced sniffing her hair. Good God, this women had made him resort to a hair sniffer. He shook his head, slammed her door a little harder than needed and stalked over to the drivers side. Just a few minutes till the party and they would be on their separate ways.

He would have the seemingly adequate company of a slinky rookie cop Liz had set him up with and Elena would spend the rest of her miserable night dealing with the less than interesting play by play of whatever sport had been on earlier from a football jock Caroline had insisted she'd go with. Damon smirked, knowing that at the very least he could get laid out of it as he backed out of the drive and set a course for the mansion. Three hours till midnight, and then a new year would give him the chance to work on forgetting this girl.

By the time the ballroom was full and most people were into the party, Elena had drunk her fair share of champagne in an attempt to drown out Mike's chatter. She really couldn't care less about hockey right now, not when Damon was currently wrapping himself around the pretty red head. The dress his date was wearing seemed to be painted on, the heels dangerously high. She'd 'tripped' into his arms more than once, but Damon seemed amused by the girls stupidity rather than repulsed. He was either that desperate, or trying to make her jealous.

It was defiantly working and she took the first opportunity for Mike to pause before grabbing his hand and tugging him toward the dance floor. "What's going on?"he asked, almost dazed. Apparently he thought he was quite entertaining.

"I want to dance." She answered simply, positioning herself in Damon's line of sight before pressing her body tightly against Mike's.

She'd never danced like this before, but drastic times called for drastic measures and she felt pretty drastic. The horny jock was full on paying attention to her now as he reached down to pull her closer, quite impressed she'd taken the lead. "I never knew there was this side of you, Elena." He whispered, spinning her around so she was facing away from him.

He continued to whisper lines in her ear, words she was sure he thought were pretty smooth, but instead her eyes and mind were focused on Damon. Oh, he'd definitely noticed and he was playing right back. The red head was kissing his neck as they danced, his hands all over her, moving both their bodies in sync to the music. Anyone watching them wouldn't have seen the epic battle going on, but Damon and Elena were sure aware of it.

Fire and determination shot from their eyes, desperate to see who would give out first, see how far the other would go to prove their point, except now Elena wasn't sure what her point was anymore. A few weeks ago she'd been more than prepared to let Damon down easy, tell him to move on and forget about her, but now here she was faced with the possibility of losing him and she'd nearly gone insane at the thought. Mike's hands got a little too grabby for her taste and she threw him a warning look over her shoulder.

He didn't care much, but took her hand and dragged her from the dance floor, down the hall and into an empty study. It all happened so fast that Elena wasn't really sure what was happening until he had her pressed up against the now locked door, his hands trying to find the zipper of her dress. "What are you doing?" she hissed, fighting him off as best she could.

"Come on Elena; don't tell me that wasn't a signal. Let's ring in the New Year right."

"I'm sorry Mike, but I have no interest in you."

"Sure you don't." He sneered, his hands getting slightly rougher. "You don't dance with someone the way we were dancing and have no interest."

Her heart sunk and she wondered just how drunk this idiot was and if she could get away without hurting him. "I'm sorry about that. I don't know what I was thinking."

"This is all about Damon Salvatore isn't it?" he laughed and shook his head. "Tyler said something about that, warned me you might disappear half way through the night."

"Well Tyler is wrong. I have no interest in Damon." Her voice shook as bit, but she was relieved when Mike stood back.

"Now you are lying." He shook his head and reached around her to lock the door. "Do yourself and the guy a favour. Tell him the truth and stop this ridiculous game."

A minute later she was alone in the room, wondering just what the hell had happened and why she didn't have another glass of champagne.

Damon searched the room for Elena, his eyes moving through the crowd wildly in hopes he would catch a glimpse of her. Megan, the red head at his side was quickly becoming more and more impatient with his lack of attention to her and after an hour of being ignored she'd stomped off and found a young doctor to kiss at midnight. Damon had barely been aware that she had left aside from the sudden silence. Mike had returned to the party a ten minutes ago, but Elena was nowhere in sight.

It was fifteen minutes until midnight and he had to find her, had to make everything right before the clock struck twelve. It was a bit like a twisted version of Cinderella as he raced up the stairs, searching for her. Most bedrooms were occupied with couples preparing to celebrate in their own way, others were dark and empty. He continued to search, knowing that time was passing. Where the hell was she? He cursed and turned down another hallway, wondering just what it was about Lockwood's that had then so stuck on confusing architecture.

The cheers from the party below him and the sound of fireworks outside let him know that it was too late, he'd missed his shot. New Years was over, and he would have to wait for another opportune moment to show her just how he felt. Then he caught the glimpse of a sliver of light through a doorway and walked through it. There didn't seem to be anyone in the bedroom, but the light was on and the doors to the balcony were open. He stepped forward, hoping it was her and wondering if fate would be kind enough to give him one more chance.

Elena held her new glass of champagne tightly as fireworks erupted over the expansive lawn of the Lockwood Mansion. It was a new year, a new beginning. Things had changed so drastically in the time since her last new year's eve. She'd loved, and lost and discovered things she wished she'd never known. As the red and white and blue and yellow sparkled across the sky she sighed, leaning against the balcony. She sensed him behind her before she heard his footsteps, and she turned around before he'd cleared his throat to get her attention.

"Did you find someone to kiss at midnight?" Elena asked, glancing down at the few remaining sips in her glass. She'd been nursing it for the past few minutes, and with a scowl she downed the rest of it.

"No." he took a step toward her, coming onto the balcony. He couldn't believe how magical she looked with the fireworks behind her. "Did you?"

"No." she shook her head, and then looked up to smile at him. "That will be the second year in a row I've been kissless on new year's."

"Is that even a word?" he teased, they were now two steps apart.

"This year it is." She smiled and set her now empty glass on the railing. "What happened to that pretty red head?"

"She decided I wasn't nearly as charming as I thought I was." He winked and closed a little more distance. It was her turn to take the last step, and he held his breath praying silently that she would. "Might have something to do with the fact I couldn't keep my eyes off you all night."

"Seemed to me, you hardly looked at all."

"So you were watching me too?" he smirked, closing the distance between them completely.

"It was quite entertaining watching that women make a fool out of herself for you. I bet you wish I could act like that sometimes."

"Hardly." He took the empty glass from her hands and set it on the railing. "I tried to find you before midnight."

The last of the fireworks died away and the sky turned black again. "It seems you are too late to kiss me." She said, hoping he would anyway.

"Is that you're way of telling me you want me to back off?"

"No." She shook her head and reached up to flatten her hand on the side of his neck. "It's me hoping that we can start this year off right. Screw midnight and the traditions. The old ways don't seem to be working to good for us lately. Maybe we should try something new and see where that takes us."

Damon wasn't sure he'd heard anything more logical in his life, and in response he pulled her tight against his chest and kissed her. It wasn't midnight, there were no more fireworks, but it was perfect. She tasted like champagne, she smelled like vanilla and it was all he could do not to devour her right there."

"Inside Damon." She ordered, pulling back to breathe when her body demanded it. "Take me inside."

He lifted her up, the slit in the dress allowing her to wrap her legs around his waist. He carried her back into the bedroom, closing the terrace doors and gently laying her down on the bed. "Wait here." He whispered, and Elena nodded, closing her eyes as he turned off the light and locked the bedroom door. "Open your eyes Elena." He spoke after a moment, and she did.

"Come here." She held out her arm, moving back on the bed to give him room. The silk comforter felt wonderful against her skin, and she ached for her dress to be gone, ached to feel more of his skin against hers. "Make love to me Damon, please."

He didn't really need much more encouragement than that, his fingers quickly finding the zipper and sliding it down. He gently rolled her over, pressing hot, open mouthed kisses down her back and along her spine as he moved the metal teeth open. When the dress hung loose around her shoulders he guided her onto her back and removed the dress. "You're so beautiful."

She smiled and lifted her head up, tangling her fingers in his hair and begging him to kiss her. "Good to know you've realized the rules are void now for the new year."

"I hoped so." He chuckled darkly, almost evilly as he trailed kisses down her throat. "Do you want to be mine Elena?" he asked, speaking quietly as he unclasped her bra and let it find a new home on the floor.

"Yes." She nodded and clenched her hands tightly into fists at the sudden rush of pleasure she felt when his finger brushed the inside of her wetness. She'd been too distracted by the sound of his voice, the feel of his weight over hers to notice that he'd removed her panties already.

"Say it." His voice was gentle, but the order was clear.

"I want to be yours Damon, I want to belong to you."

With that he slid a finger inside her, teasing her and preparing her for when he would finally give them both what they wanted. "Mmmm." Elena moaned, moving against his hand and fisting the comforter. "More."

"Don't you have any patience?" he teased, replacing her hand with his as he removed his suit.

His eyes were transfixed on her body, watching her touch herself. She stopped as soon as he was back on the bed, pressing him down and moving so she was on top of him. It took them a few rolls of their hips before they were in the right position, but before she could move down and slide him inside her, he gripped her hips and held her in place. "What is it?" she asked, looking down at him, her body supported by his hold as her hands on his chest.

"I just want to remember this, exactly how you look." He answered, memorizing the way her curls fell around her face, the softness of her skin under his fingers, the heat radiating from her body and tempting his join them.

"Remember later." She smiled and bent down to kiss him, moaning into his mouth when he finally let her hips drop down and meet his.

They fit together perfectly, their movements starting slow but quickly building pace as each fought for control. Just like on the dance floor they were locked in a battle, trying to see who would break first. Elena gasped as he rolled her to her back, moving faster and deeper according to her cries. She wanted more, and he was going to give her just that. This New Years was definitely one that he was never going to forget. As he felt her tighten around him he allowed his own release its freedom.

Finally, she was his. Finally, she was looking at him like he was allowed to look at her like she was the only thing that mattered, and the best suprise of all was that she was looking at him just the same. "I love you Elena." He whispered, slipping beside her on the bed to kiss her.

Her body was spent from what they'd just done together, but she found the energy to kiss back, holding him tight. "I love you too, Happy New Year."

_a/n: so it wasn't really award winning, but i hope it was still fun. I just couldn't get the image of Elena standing on a balcony waiting for Damon to come and find her, out of my head. Next up in the holiday series...Valentines Day _


End file.
